The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) once again came under fire from the Delhi High Court on Thursday for delaying the handover of land to the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) for shifting the Millennium Bus Depot.

The DDA and DTC, both had earlier told the court that sites for shifting the depot had been identified and the process for handing over the land had started. The court had ordered that the depot should be shifted out of its present location on the Yamuna riverbed by the end of the year.

But on Thursday, the court was told that it would take six more months to shift the depot, since one of the identified sites belonged to the railways and was part of an integrated traffic project.

“So far as the plot at Karkari More is concerned, it will take six more months. It is difficult to carve out 20 acres out of a huge plot, which actually belongs to Northern Railways and is part of an integrated project,” Rajiv Bansal, appearing for DDA, told the court of Justice V K Shali.

“Why have you not handed over the land to the DTC at Karkari More in East Delhi. You had said in earlier affidavits that it will be given and now, you are saying that it will take time as the land belongs to an integrated project,” the court said.

Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor-General Sanjay Jain, appearing for DTC, told the court that possession of the other identified sites at Narela, Sarai Kale Khan and Sector-4, Rohini, too had not been given to the DTC to shift nearly 1,000 buses from the depot.

As the latest status report, filed by DDA, was not on record, the court asked the land developing agency to ensure that the report is brought on the judicial file and asked DTC to file a response to it by September 24, the next date of hearing.

The Delhi government had earlier this year told the court that it would shift out the 1,000-bus capacity depot to three different sites, after the court issued contempt notices.